TequilaMockingbird

The plot thickens!

This is like the hot dog conspiracy - they used to sell hot dogs in packs of 10 and buns in packs of 8. So you always had a couple extra dogs and needed to buy more buns. Rinse repeat. Big Hot Dog and Big Bun manufacturers working together to squeeze more $ out of us. But… they have since solved the problem with shrinkflation - hot dogs now sold in packs of 8 (for a higher cost than before). Thank you big Hot Dog for saving us!!

My oldest got a smart watch which could make calls only to preset numbers that we added (mom, dad, grandma, aunt, and one neighbor who had a son the same age) at 9. That’s when he started getting dropped off at friends’ houses without a parent sticking around (mind you - this was just coming off COVID lockdowns, so we may have done it sooner if there was a need to). I wanted him to always be able to reach us in any situation. He’s a really responsible kid, so he got a full smartphone the summer after 5th grade (11) when he went on the class trip to Washington DC. Currently in middle school with a smartphone and no issues yet, plus it gives us something valuable to him to take away if we feel he’s letting grades slip, etc.

My second does not seem to share the same level of responsibility, so he did not get his smart watch until 10. He may not get a smartphone anytime soon. It depends on the kid.

My youngest is 8. Time will tell about how responsible he is, but Lord - this is the child that WILL need to call us. Always getting into something 🤦🏻‍♀️.

It is a weird take. There were stories after 9/11 about Sirius the K-9 patrol dog that died in the attacks, but no one was claiming this coverage meant that the dog’s life was more important than the many human lives lost. After the initial reporting on the actual events, journalists very often turn to interest stories about very specific aspects and effects of the event. Like, almost every time a major catastrophe happens.

Yeah, I charitably hope she is interpreting “living wage” as living super comfortably in a mini McMansion in the suburbs with a pool in the back yard and a new car in the driveway every 5 years or so. I mean, that’s how many of this generation experienced success, so it makes sense if that’s her frame of reference. But a literal _living _wage is something you can…you know …live off of. With super extraneous purchases like food and clothes and a roof over your head. They don’t stop and think what they’re expecting people to do - work all day or night long so she can have her ice cream and still not be able to afford rent. It’s cruel and dehumanizing.

I mean, I think “those people” believe it’s the billionaire pharma companies lying to them, not the individual researchers. And they’re lying to everyone, including the doctors and public health officials. Not that I agree - that would be difficult to cover up & someone would surely whistleblow. But it does make more sense if you look at the brainwashing in that light.

See, even without ADHD, this is still a problem. Burnout does not require undiagnosed neurodivergency - we need to dispel the myth that working this much and carrying this much is normal. ADHD shouldn’t have anything to do with it.

Nor should being a woman, for that matter. Take care of each other out there.

Was his first name Xavier? Dr. X Wiener?

I would love to get Hogwarts Legacy for my son - he just finished all of the books! He’s getting a new laptop for Christmas, so we haven’t focused on games, etc. yet but I’m sure he’d be thrilled to play!

This is a really fun idea, thanks for doing this!

That’s because it’s not taught correctly. It’s supposed to apply to words that have an “ee” sound from blended vowels, because those are the words that are confusing to remember whether the i or the e comes first. And even then there are exceptions (weird, seize, Keith). It was never meant to cover words with an “ay” sound like weigh or where the 2 vowels are pronounced separately (science, glacier, being).

But it’s much more fun to pick words that “disprove” the rule for Internet points (even though they were never meant to be in scope).

Just a tip: You can also automate the bathroom fan with a timer to turn off after 30 min or whatever, since you want it to run for a bit but not all night.